The central Wisconsin area is known for its wrestling, boasting some of the top teams and wrestlers in the state in past years. To start the 2017-18 season, the trend has continued, with a number of local high school programs ranking among the best in the state to this point of the season.

Stratford not only is the top-ranked team in Division 3 according to the most recent Wisconsin Wrestling Online poll, but also could make a case for being the top team in the entire state.

The Tigers opened their season by taking third in the Black River Falls Invite despite sending just nine wrestlers to compete.

Stratford then knocked off Freedom, Melrose-Mindoro/GET, Slinger and Stoughton while competing in the Dells Duals Classic on Dec. 9. Each of those four teams is currently ranked in its respective division, with Stoughton and Freedom each ranking third in Division 1 and 2, respectively.

Just a few slots below Stratford in the Division 3 rankings is Pittsville, which currently sits sixth.

Like Stratford, Pittsville also posted a perfect record at the Dells Duals Classic. The Panthers knocked off Iowa-Grant/Highland and Cumberland that day, both teams that are currently honorable mentions in Division 3.

Pittsville also traveled to Appleton last weekend to take part in the Battle on the Fox. The Panthers finished second, just 5 ½ points behind ranked Shiocton.

The Spencer/Columbus Catholic wrestling team ranks 11th in Division 2 while Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal is an honorable mention team. Athens ranks 10th in Division 3 while Edgar is an honorable mention.

BASKETBALL CONFERENCE RACES START TO TAKE SHAPE

GIRLS

With over a month of the boys and girls basketball seasons wrapped up, a number of local conference races are heating up.

One of the most intriguing conferences has been the Cloverbelt Conference's East Division. Colby, Owen-Withee, Columbus Catholic and Neillsville all have lost just one conference loss. A season ago, Neillsville and Loyal shared the conference title with matching 15-1 records.

The Wisconsin Valley Conference race is another one you'll want to keep your eye on, with both D.C. Everest and SPASH owning 3-0 conference records. While there are plenty of games yet to be played, the team's matchups on Jan. 9 and Feb. 9 could go a long way in determining a conference champion.

In the Great Northern Conference, Medford shares the conference lead with Lakeland. The teams, which boast 3-0 conference marks, will battle on Jan. 5 and Feb 6. ​​​​​​

While some divisions are tight, other local teams have already established themselves as the favorites.

Amherst owns a 5-0 record in the Central Wisconsin Conference-East Division. The Falcons also have handed Shiocton (3-1), Wittenberg-Birnamwood (2-1) and Menominee Indian (2-1) their only conference losses.

Tri-County sits in a similar situation in the CWC-South. The Cardinals own a 5-0 conference mark and have knocked off both Port Edwards (3-1) and Pacelli (3-1).

Marathon is another team that controls its own destiny to claim a conference title. The Raiders are 7-0 in the Marawood Conference South Division and hold a commanding lead over Newman Catholic (4-2), Assumption (4-3), Auburndale (4-3) and Stratford (4-3).

Playing in its first season away from the Marawood South, Northland Lutheran finds itself atop the CWC-North with a 3-0 record. Manawa (3-1), Bowler (3-1) and Wisconsin Valley Lutheran (2-1) are among the teams chasing the Wildcats for the conference title.

BOYS

The Cloverbelt East also serves as one of the tighter boys conference races so far, with Columbus Catholic (5-0), Loyal (4-0) and Neillsville (4-0) all holding onto perfect records in conference play. A year ago, Columbus Catholic claimed the division with a 15-1 record before making an appearance in the Division 5 state quarterfinal game.

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Nick Malovrh is a reason why Columbus Catholic is ranked second in Division 5 in the first Associated Press state boys basketball polls of the season.(Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin file photo)

Edgar's upset of Auburndale on Thursday created a three-way tie atop the Marawood South. Auburndale, Marathon and Stratford all own 5-1 conference marks with Assumption (4-2) and Edgar (3-3) lurking.

The injury to SPASH's Joey Hauser has opened up the opportunity for a team to finally overtake the Panthers for the Wisconsin Valley Conference title. SPASH and D.C. Everest currently own 2-0 records in conference play while Merrill and Marshfield are 2-1.

In the Great Northern Conference, Mosinee (3-0), Rhinelander (2-0) and Antigo (1-0) have yet to drop a game. Lakeland (2-1) and Medford (0-1) have dropped just one game.

The Central Wisconsin Conference-North also features a trio of unbeaten teams at the top of the standings in Gresham (4-0), Northland Lutheran (3-0) and Wisconsin Valley Lutheran (2-0).

The only teams that can boast the lone undefeated record in their conferences or divisions are Amherst (4-0) and Pacelli (3-0). The Falcons already own a key CWC-East win over Iola-Scandinavia (3-1) but have yet to play Shiocton (2-1). The Cardinals upset Almond-Bancroft (3-1) in a CWC-South showdown on Tuesday but have not played Wild Rose (3-1) or Port Edwards (2-1).